Although the man would be apt to match checks and polka dots without in-house consultation from his wife, Adubato has developed a funky reputation for his wardrobe on the sidelines for the Orlando Magic. He is a clotheshorse for the clueless, punctuating every game he coaches with a kaleidoscope of colorful ties and pocket squares.

''Richie has a style that's all his own, thank goodness,'' Magic center Danny Schayes said. ''I think it makes a nice colorful statement. He goes somewhere between rainbows and peacocks some days. Toward the end of the game when guys are really tired, instead of smelling salts you just look at Richie's ties and it revives you.''

Playfully suggesting that Adubato might need a fashion

make-over, The Orlando Sentinel instead got a facial from his supportive Magic men. We're talking serious in-your-face rejection: Only three of 12 players - Nick Anderson, Gerald Wilkins and Derek Strong - came up with a new look for their coach.

''He has a colorful personality, and I think his wardrobe accentuates or reflects the way that he is,'' guard Brian Shaw said. ''If you know his personality, you know that it fits.''

A wild child at 59, Adubato is proud of his eclectic tie collection that numbers more than 300 (although wife Carol insists the total significantly is higher). Who knows? Adubato simply throws his ties on hangers. She brought him an electronic tie rack once, but he never hooked it up.

Stereotypes are crushed at the Adubato's Heathrow home. He gets the large closet. Always has. He is the one who loves to shop 'til he drops. On Magic road trips, Adubato follows a typical routine: He stops by an upscale coffee shop,

picks up a cup of designer java, and goes hunting for ties.

''My way of relaxing on the road is to go shopping,'' Adubato said. ''I'll buy a tie in a split second.''

When Orlando played the New York Knicks in late December, Adubato hooked up for dinner with a few relatives, including two cousins who ''think that if you pay more than $8 for a tie, you're crazy.''

While walking along Fifth Avenue, Adubato spotted a tie in an exclusive store where customers had to ring a bell to be allowed entry.

''Here I came in with a whole entourage of construction workers,'' Adubato said. ''I asked the price of this tie and pocket square. She said it was $190. There's no way I could pay that kind of money and live with myself, or that my wife would ever let me in the house. I passed that one up, but there are very few ties I'll pass up if I think they are sharp.''

His clothing legacy runs in sync with his coaching legacy, dating to his days as a high school coach in New Jersey in 1965. Earning only $4,200 his first year for teaching and coaching three sports, Adubato was strapped financially, but he always was overgenerous with his clothing allowance.

Believing his players would look up to him if he looked sharp, Adubato charged many of his clothes at Bloomingdales and paid them off gradually.

''It made me feel good about myself, but it also made me feel good in my relationship with the players,'' Adubato said. ''And it carried over all the way through. I didn't want to be too flamboyant or ostentatious, but I wanted to have a little flair.''

Having spent the past 18 years coaching in the NBA, Adubato no longer has to monitor his checking account, and his fashion standards have risen as dramatically as his players'.

While coaching the Dallas Mavericks in 1989-90, Adubato was given a clothing allowance through a local shop that catered to his tie fetish. People took notice. Even the staid folks at the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.

Captivated by a $110 Serica Elite tie with a flowery pattern, the Hall of Fame asked Adubato give it up for their memorabilia collection. ''That's the only way I'm going to get to the Hall of Fame,'' Adubato said.

On Magic game days, Adubato will choose a suit - usually from his favorite designer, Ted Lapidus - and allow Carol to match the tie, shirt and pocket squares (which number about 100). ''He'll say, 'Does this go with this?' I'll say, 'You're kidding me, aren't you?' '' Carol Adubato said. ''I'm worried that he's color-blind, but I think he just has no clue. He just gets a little carried away. If I didn't help him, it could be dangerous.''

Adubato usually wears a tab or spread collar shirt (with French cuffs) and a tie pin. On certain occasions, son Adam, 6, will insist on coordinating his outfit to match Daddy's. The Adubatos recently had to send two of Adam's shirts to a tailor for alterations: The kid wanted French cuffs too.

A recent spunky ensemble featured Adubato in a blue double-breasted sport coat, gray pants, a pinstripe shirt and a red-dominated print tie. If not bound by his duties as Magic coach, Adubato would have been a perfect fit as a cruise director on the Love Boat.

''You can't give Richie a

makeover,'' forward Horace Grant said. ''It wouldn't be him. He's a light, funny bright type of guy. That's his character. And to put Richie in a dark suit and a dark tie would be uncivilized.''

Grant did suggest one cosmetic change: ''I was thinking about getting my goggles tinted. It's very bright in the huddle.''